A Sister by Any Other Name
by EtoilesEtChats
Summary: What if Kate Beckett had had a sister that was also her best friend? Vignettes of Kate's life with a little sister and the effects Alison Beckett has on her.
1. Ma Sœur Dame

_Disclaimer- I don't own Castle. My first foray into Castle fanfiction, so please be nice (I hope)! Special thank-you to my beta, hotcookinmama, for helping me polish this piece and pushing me to actually write it! Check out her Arrow fanfic! If you want to see who I'd cast for Kate's little sister, it would be Merritt Patterson._

 _This vignette takes place during_ Flowers For Your Grave, _the pilot episode._

* * *

As she got into the Crown Vic to drive home for the night, she dialed a familiar number on her phone. It rang. She was expecting it to go to voicemail, but instead, the line picked up.

"Katie?"

"Hey, Ali," Kate said, surprised her sister, Alison Beckett, answered. "I was expecting to get your voicemail! I'm surprised you picked up!"

"Yeah, I've got a minute, I was just going home from the law library. Am I forgetting something? Oh no, the dinner with Dad- it wasn't- it wasn't tonight was it?" Ali's voice started to rise in pitch.

Anybody else would have immediately tried to calm her down. But Kate absolutely relished moments like these. "I was just calling to see if you were on your way," trying not to let the grin on her face come through her tone.

"Oh no! I promise, I didn't forget! Oh my God, did I record it wrong in my calendar? Just a second, I honestly thought it was tomorrow night-"

"I'm messing with you, Als," Kate said, grinning to herself. "It's tomorrow night."

There was a long pause. "Katie, that is not funny," Ali said darkly.

"It was hilarious to me."

"I'm sure it was. You are such an ass."

"I know. I was just calling to check in with you," Kate admitted.

"I should hang up on you for that," Ali said. "My study group just finished the dissertations from the Legal Ethics class, and I've got work at my internship tomorrow morning. Anything exciting happening your world?"

"Well… you know those books I got you hooked on?"

" Gone Girl ?"

"No, the other one-"

"Not the DaVinci Code ? That was so long ago-"

"No! The Derrick Storm novels!"

"Oh! Yeah, I know those."

"Well, you are never going to guess what womanizing author I had to take in for questioning over a homicide today."

"Shut up! No!"


	2. It's Not Stalking

_Disclaimer- I don't own Castle,_ otherwise, _I'd be making money._

 _A/N- This alternate universe vignette takes place during S1-E4_ 'Hell Hath No Fury'

* * *

"' _Smart, savvy, and kind of slutty_ '?" Kate repeated to Ali over the phone. "Who does he think he is?"

"Oh, poor Katie," Ali muttered on the other end. "She's so good at her job and so good-looking, that she's inspiring an entire book series, and a best-selling author is falling in love with her!"

"This is not funny!"

"I'm not laughing. Look, there are worse things that could happen, alright? First world problem."

"Usually, I'm the one telling you that."

"I'm calling the _waaaah_ mbulance. I feel so sorry for you, while I'm knee-deep in depositions and student-loan debt."

"Do you even realize how much you're going to make when you graduate law school?" Kate sneered at her sister.

"Oh yeah, I've got law firms banging down my door; you've got Richard Castle trying to get into your pants."

"Ali, you're going to meet so many successful people and lawyers-"

"Oh I forgot, I have Tessie and Booker to keep my company right now, I'm so lucky," she said, referring to her two cats. "What are you doing right now?"

"Waiting on Lanie."

"You're at the OCME?"

"Yup. You'll crash _the Storm Fall_ premiere at Broadway Books with me, won't you?"

"Why are you talking to me like I have all this spare time to stalk him? I'm in Columbia Law School, it's not a joke!"

"It's not stalking him! We'll make ourselves known... wait a second, Lanie's here! 'Call you later, bye!"

Ali's cell phone went dead. "Rude!" she shouted at the phone, and realized she was still in the law library. Blushing, she slipped her phone into her back pocket and went back to scouring the shelves in the law library, hoping nobody heard her.

* * *

"That's him!" Kate hissed, clutching her trench coat closed. Ali clutched her sister's arm. "He's in for it."

"I'm not used to this side of you. What do you actually think you're going to accomplish?" Ali asked.

Katie stuttered, unable to speak. "I… have… reasons for being here!"

"To convince him he's an asshole? Great idea! I can't believe I'm the voice of reason tonight. Is this a first for us? I think it is! You think I don't remember that you have all of his books on your bookshelf at home?"

Katie glowered. "I don't have _all_ of his books."

"Oh yeah, you lent out that paperback copy of _Flowers for Your Grave_ that you never got back."

"I'll remind you, you have a few of his books that I loaned _you_ that you never gave back," she replied coldly.

"Oh please. I'm the only person who knows that you've had a huge crush on him since Police Training Academy. I gave you your first copy of one of his books, remember?"

"Shh!" Katie hissed. "I do _not_ have a crush on him! _I do not!_ " Kate had just gotten her pre-order of _Storm Fall_ from Amazon delivered to her apartment today, even if she wouldn't admit it.

Ali smirked. "Yeah, sure."

"Ass."

The book reading started. Kate practically gagged when he said, _the wind gathered up her hair._

"Can you believe him?" Kate whispered, furious. "How did he even get published?"

Ali checked the time on her phone. "How long do these events actually go? I've got laundry to do," she whispered.

"Laundry can wait," Kate said, pulling away.

"Katie, stop!" she hissed.

Kate ignored her, and very seductively shed the coat. Castle's gaze floated over to her and stayed there as she revealed a very beautiful, sexy, hot-pink halter-top mini-dress that showed off her legs and every curve in her body.

" _Damn_ ," she heard Ali whisper behind her.

Castle's eyes followed her, distracting him.

Wow, she had actually done it. She had officially crashed the Storm Fall Read and Sign event.

* * *

Ali wondered if she could leave, now. The reading ended, and Katie pretty much attacked Castle. Ali couldn't believe what she was watching; her sister was livid over something he did or said. He grabbed a cardboard cutout of himself to ward her off, although it wasn't working. She had to hold back her laughter. He had no idea what he was in for, invoking the full wrath of Katherine Beckett. Ali was one of the few people that wasn't afraid of her.

She strode over to where she was practically chasing him down. Katie was overreacting. "Change it! Change the name, Castle!"

"Wait, what's going on?" Ali interrupted.

"He's naming his character based off me… a stripper name !"

"Hi there," Richard Castle said, and flashed a grin at her. Ali had to admit: he was even more handsome in person and she could see how he made women melt. His smoulder made her knees buckle a bit.

"Don't you even think about it, Castle!"

* * *

Ali had come over to protect Castle from Kate's own rage, and now, NOW he was looking at her baby sister? And worse, Kate was his new "inspiration", a "muse" he was calling her, a thinly-veiled perverted fantasy of his, and he'd be making money off it? Like most celebrity fantasies she had had about him, she wouldn't admit that it was not going the way she wanted. He wasn't supposed to use her likeness and ruin her career. He could do whatever he wanted with her likeness if she was his 'muse'. She liked being in control, and she was losing it around him.

"Hi, I'm Katie's little sister," Ali said, introducing herself, extending a hand.

 _Why are you doing this?_ Kate thought, trying to send the idea through psychic projection to her sister.

"You've got a sister?" he repeated, stunned.

"Yes, and you stay away from her!" Kate cried indignantly. She'd be damned if he dated her sister and dumped her a week later, breaking Ali's heart.

"Hey, wait a second, Katie," Ali began.

"Yeah, wait a second," Castle repeated, grinning at Ali. She grinned back, and it infuriated Kate even more. "I didn't get your name, you're pretty sexy-"

"Don't get any new ideas for another series. I am not your 'muse', neither is Ali! Come on," Kate said, grabbing Ali's arm to drag her away.

"Bye! It was nice meeting you!" Ali called.

Kate groaned.

"Wait a second, you've got a sister named Ali? Like _Kate and Allie_? This is too much!" he called after them. Ali waved at him.

 _STOP IT!_ Kate thought.

"What's the stripper name?" Ali asked.

"It's awful," Kate muttered. "He's… he named her _Nikki Heat_ -"

"Ow! Let go, will ya?" Kate realized she had a death grip on her sister's arm. Ali rubbed her arm. "That's not so bad! I was thinking it was something like Champagne Luscious or Boots McQueen! Nikki's a normal name!"

"It's just as bad!"

"Hey, one of the girls in my pledge class in college was named Nikki!"

"No, she wasn't, her name was Nichole, and she went by Nikki for short! This is bad -"

"As bad as what you just did to my arm?" Ali complained, shaking her offended arm.

"I'm gonna kill him!"

"Why? I should be so lucky to have someone base a character off me, let alone a best-selling author!"

"No! No, do not wish for that! He can make a character based on you do whatever he wants-"

"Oh really?" Ali asked, arching an eyebrow knowingly. "Like the SIMS?"

"It's not like that! I am a private citizen!" Kate complained. "I like my privacy!"

"Look on the bright side...: maybe you can get some free swag from designers!"

"Get serious! And don't ever go near him again, I have to put up with him at work, and he does nothing but…"

In all honesty, Castle didn't get in the way, like she was about to say. He didn't touch things or move them at the murder sites, he didn't corrupt evidence, and for all the silly theories he came up with… he actually was helpful. "He's not that bad, is he?" Ali replied. "I knew it!"

"He's like a kid with ADD on a sugar rush," Kate responded.

"So you can get Captain Montgomery to kick him out, right? He's a problem? Did it crush your fantasy of what he'd be like?"

"Well, sort of. But… I can't get rid of him. "

"He's not a problem?" Ali prompted. "He helps?"

Kate had to admit to herself that the biggest problem was he… got under her skin. Why? Deep down she knew the answer. "He's good at helping me solve murders, but he's a womanizer, Ali. That's why I want you stay away from him, because he'll hurt you. He uses women like tissues during flu season!"

"He's a celebrity and… I don't know, not my type anyway. Don't worry, I won't try to hook up with him, rest assured."

"Good."

"Katie, I'll be honest, you're so uptight and you never have fun. All you ever do is work these days… and he's fun. It sounds like he makes work entertaining, and you could use some fun in your life. You're getting too serious as a detective and you make murder boring when you tell me about your cases," Ali offered. "I could kind of see you two together."

Her sister thought she was lame, too? That kind of stung. "Yeah, sure. I couldn't," Kate scoffed.


	3. Admission Against Interest

_Season 1 Episode 3:_ Hedge Fund Homeboys _(this was episode 104, but it aired out of order)_

 _Disclaimer- I don't own Castle._

* * *

"I think we can get him on something," Kate said about Max Heller, turning over the engine in the Crown Vic. "He will never admit to it, though."

"Sociopaths are like that," Castle agreed. "They believe they're so smart, they're untouchable."

"Exactly," Kate agreed. "And so far he is. We need his confession, otherwise, the DA has nothing."

Her phone chimed, and she checked the screen: it was from Ali.

"Call me when you get this! A "

"Just a second," she told Castle, hitting the CALL button. Her phone rang on speaker.

"Katie?"

"Hey, you wanted me to call? What's up?"

"I got an interview for the internship!"

"What?" Kate cried, surprised. "Oh, Ali, that's great!"

"Congratulations," Castle added in. "What for?"

"Oh!" Ali cried. There was a long pause. "Katie, I thought you were alone!"

"I'm sorry, I should have told you," Kate apologized. "This is my sister, Ali. Ali, this is Castle, you met him at the _Storm Fall_ book premiere?"

"Hi," Castle said. "I forgot to tease her this morning at work about this. Your parents must have been big fans of that show in the eighties!"

"Actually, we were both born before that show came on the air," Kate said.

"But she'll always be Katie to me," Ali said. "Katie, you're going to help me practice interviewing, right?"

"Of course! Let me know when you can come over."

"I'll check my schedule and let you know."

"Anything exciting happening in your world?"

"Nothing, other than we're dealing with a complete sociopath of a kid," Kate grumbled.

"Sociopath as in…?"

"We think he's guilty, but he's done a really good job of covering for himself," Castle said.

"And he's a complete jackass," Kate added in.

"He knows we know, but we have no evidence," Castle explained further.

"Then try to trap him. Admission against interest. We were just going over that today in school."

"Admission against interest, you say?" Castle repeated. "What are you in school for?"

"I'm in law school at Columbia. Like, if you're in a car accident and get out and say, 'sorry, are you okay?' A lot of car insurance policies are written so if you say that, you're admitting you're guilty."

"I've heard of it," Kate said.

"I majored in psychology and humanities in undergrad, so I know that sociopaths usually believe they're smarter than everyone else in the room," Ali said. "Few people know about it. Try to get him to agree that your version of events is completely plausible. Get it on tape. Then you have evidence."

"Smart thinking, Als," Kate agreed. "Thanks! I'll send you a text when I get back to the precinct."

"Okay. Good luck! Love you!"

"Love you too."

She hung up. "That's my girl!"

"I didn't get what the internship was for."

"Oh! She's been applying for third-year law-student internships at different law firms around town," Kate explained. "She's pretty high-strung, and it works against her, sometimes. If she can't do it perfectly, she won't do it at all, it kind of hangs her up."

"Sounds like Alexis. But Columbia law, that's pretty good."

"She doesn't think so. But I kept pushing for her to go out for the internships, and she finally got an interview! I'm so proud of her."

"Is she your only sibling?"

"Yes."

There was a long pause. "You're not going to tell me anything else, are you?" he responded.

Kate shook her head. She wasn't ready to open up to him. She was worried he wouldn't understand her relationship with her little sister and she didn't want to emotionally vomit on him, either. He didn't need to know that she had raised Ali when their father fell into the bottle too hard, and that Ali had survived a suicide attempt that was Kate's fault for doing a semester overseas, leaving her home alone with their drunken father. There was no reason to wear her heart on her sleeve. Castle never needed to know this.

"Well, she's pretty cute."

"You're barking up the wrong tree," Kate responded.

"Oh, she… bats for the same team?"

Kate side-eyed him. "No. She just told me you weren't her type after the book signing."

"What is her type?"

"Oh, Ali? My sister has terrible taste in men!" Kate scoffed. She felt protective of Ali, to keep her away from men like Castle, that seemed to have dated every celebutante in the tri-state area between the ages of 20-35. Of course, Ali had told her that she could see Kate with Castle. And that bothered her. "She's too busy with law school, too."

* * *

Ali took the train to Harlem and went home to her rent-controlled student apartment after a bodega stop, and saw her big sister outside, waiting.

"Katie! What are you doing here?" she cried, grinning.

"I'm here to help you practice for your interview, kid," Katie said.

"Come on," Ali said, unlocking the door to her apartment building.

Upstairs, they turned on the furnace radiator in the little studio apartment, and Ali put the kettle on to boil.

"So do you like working with him as your consultant?" Ali asked, getting their favorite tea, peppermint, down from the cabinet.

"Well… he's alright," Katie said, picking up Tessie, the tiny tabby rescue kitty Ali had found in Queens a few years ago at her hellish call-center job, stroking her head. Tessie liked Katie. "He asked about you."

"He did?" Ali asked, eyebrows almost shoot off her forehead.

"Yeah, he did. I told him your taste in men was terrible."

"What? You hag!" Ali cried, trying not to laugh.

"Don't worry, I think that encouraged him," Katie teased. "Well, we used your idea, admission against interest, and it worked."

"It did?"

"It did! We got a confession!"

"That's great! You close another case?"

"Yup! Alright, let's get down to business. What are you wearing to the interview?"

"Um…" Ali went to her tiny closet. "Here. This jacket and this skirt."

"Are those Donna Karan?" Katie's jaw dropped.

"You can find all kinds of name brands in that Consignment shop in Hoboken."

"What about your top? What are you wearing under the jacket?"

"Well… I've got this silk blouse from Anne Taylor Loft. It's a few years old, do you think they'll be able to tell?"

"What firm is it?"

"Holster, Shuster, and Wilford Associates. It's finance law," she said, shimmying out of her pencil skirt and tights to change into some pajamas bottoms and a t-shirt.

"Okay, I've heard of them through Dad, they won't care if it's a few seasons old."

"Oh good."

"Okay, shoes and hair?"

"My two-inch closed-toe black pumps, and I intend on putting all my hair back into a smooth bun at the back of my head. And of course, my glasses to look smarter."

"Good! Now, let's do a mock interview. Alright, Miss Beckett, I see you've spent a few years in the work force, most notably at Free Cell Wireless. What was the best part about that job?"

"Um, that beautiful kitten you're holding: I found her behind the building."

"Ali," Katie reprimanded, although Tessie was purring loudly in her lap.

"Alright. I think the best thing I learned there was how to handle irate and upset people, because I worked extensively with bill-collecting and accounting."

"What made you want to leave that for law school?"

"I wanted to grow in a career where I wasn't bill-collecting, because it's people at their worst, and not really making a real resolution. I put off going to law school for some real-world experience, and I realized in the first year collection-calling, this is what I wanted, to go ahead with law school. So I have."

Katie nodded. "What was the worst part of your old job?"

"Since I lived in Hell's Kitchen at the time, it was definitely the commute during rush hour. And I didn't like having to contact people when they were behind on their bills, they weren't very nice about it."

"Why do you want this internship?"

"I think that finance law is an incredibly fortunate field to be in, seeing as it will never die out. We'll always need lawyers to represent and interpret these laws, and I'm ready to learn as much as I can."

Katie nodded again. "Where do you want to be in five years?"

"I want to be…" Ali stopped to consider. She wanted to say, practicing in my own family firm and starting a family, but she knew no law firm would want an intern that said that. "I want to be working in the world of finance, if I'm lucky, it'll be with a firm with a reputation like this one."

"Good. Tell me about your strengths in law."

"Well, I want to get into law to do some good and to make a difference. I think dealing in the world of finance will help structure a better, more financially sound society and recreate the middle-class."

Katie nodded again and Tessie climbed out of her lap. "What are your weaknesses?"

Ali shifted her weight. "Um… I'm really bad at multitasking, but I do better when I sit down and focus on one thing at a time."

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yeah, why do you have one of our favorite authors riding along with you in your car and you can't tell me about it first when I call you?"  
Katie grinned wryly. "I'm not counting that one."

"No, I don't have any questions, but thank you for interviewing me." The kettle whistled, and Ali darted up to get it. "Is peppermint tea okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Alright, you did pretty well, except for two things: if you tell them you don't multitask well, they're never going to hire you, alright?"

"What? Come on, multitasking is from the devil!" Ali cried, filling up the two cats food bowls on the floor while the tea steeped.

"You can come up with something better, like tell them you can be too sensitive to criticism, but that you try to ask in advance what your weaknesses are so that you can work on them with your supervisor. That'll look good; you do have a flaw, but you are proactive in trying to fix it. They'll appreciate that. And when I asked if you had any more questions about the firm, you needed to have at least one to two, and always end with telling them what an honor it was to interview for such a prestigious firm. And then reiterate some of the best things that they do from your research. Okay?"

"Alright, got it." Ali brought over two mugs of steaming hot tea to where Katie was sitting on the bed.

"Where's your computer?"

"It's over here," Ali said, getting it out of her laptop bag.

"Let's find out what we can about this company, alright?"

"Okay…" they did some internet searches and read some articles about Holster, Shuster, and Wilford Associates and the cases they represented over their teas. Booker finally came out from under the bed to snuggle his fat, ginger cat self into Ali's lap. "Katie, what did you really tell Richard Castle about me?"

Katie chuckled. "That you're very sweet, a bit of a perfectionist, and that you enjoy his books. I also told him to stay away from you."

"You- you did?"  
"Of course."

"Well… I guess you want him all to yourself."

"Please! He's not looking for anything serious, you know that, right?" Kate's hand grazed Ali's wrist, over the raised, jagged line that was fading, but still there if you looked under the dainty, delicate tattoo font that said, Spirit & Guts that covered it. Ali pulled her left arm away.

"Katie, I'm not interested in him for me," Ali admitted. "You deserve to be with someone fun, who's not so serious for once."

"He's not for me," Katie said.

"You deserve a break from being so serious for a while," Ali said. "Don't worry about me." Ali knew she couldn't hold Katie back like she once had. Especially not now. Katie had sacrificed for her, so much so that Ali feared she'd never be able to make up for it, raising her. But she took up the challenge to raise her anyway, like a saint, after their mother died. "I'm ready to be on my own for once."

"Just don't forget about me," Katie tried to joke.

"Of course I won't."


	4. Learn from My Mistakes

Mid-Season Two, episode coinciding, I haven't decided. I will soon.

At this point, Ali graduated Columbia law and failed the bar the first time she took it, despite having an internship with the Atwood law firm, and she's been dating one of the Atwood sons, who is on his way to partner. Kate had to knock some sense into Ali when she takes the relationship too far too fast, with the help of Castle, of course.

* * *

Kate set the bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and the Red Blend onto the counter.

"Thirty-one oh-seven," the Harlem liquor store associate said.

She handed over the cash. She hoped they'd match well with whatever Ali was cooking tonight.

The trip to Ali's apartment at the end of the block was quick, and Kate rang the buzzer. Ali seemed to be recovering from failing the bar exam, but Kate wasn't quite sure yet.

"Katie?" Ali asked.

"Yeah, it's me."

The door buzzed and unlocked. Up on Ali's floor, the door was open, and Kate could smell something savory cooking. Ali was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a SUNY t-shirt at the kitchenette counter. Her cats were chasing a hair tie around the kitchen floor and Booker ran to hide under the bed at Kate's arrival.

"Hey," she said, putting the paper sack with wine onto the counter and helped herself to the wine glasses. "I got red and white, I didn't know what you were making."

"Just a pork loin, either'll work." Ali was glowing, her eyes sparkling. This was quite a change in demeanor. "I'm glad you made it out."

"Me too."

"You look really good. Did you go to a spa or something with Kent over the weekend and didn't tell me?"

"Well... " Ali tried to conceal a grin. "Well, Katie… I'm engaged."

"What?" Kate sloshed red wine across her sister's counter. "You… you are?"

Ali lifted her left hand, and a stone glittered on her ring finger. Her grin didn't falter: this was not a joke. "Yep!"

Kate loved her little sister. She loved her a lot. But she always thought she'd get to experience everything first as the oldest. She thought she'd be the first one to get married, the first one to start a family. But here was Ali, grinning, holding up her hand with a giant princess-cut rock on it, probably from Tiffany's or Cartier, knowing Kent.

"Kent proposed!" Ali continued. "I haven't told Dad yet-"

"You haven't?"

"No! I'm telling you first!... Aren't you happy for me?"

Kate realized she wasn't having the proper reaction: this was a happy thing, a joyful thing for any woman. But Kate felt indignant that she wasn't the first Beckett sister to get married. She knew it was stupid to get angry or upset over it, though. It wasn't like this was 1890 and their father was arranging marriages for them. "Of course, I am!" Kate said, remembering that she wasn't behaving like a normal person. She threw her arms open to hug Ali, and she squeezed her. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Katie. I shared this with you first because I wanted to ask you to be my maid of honor."

"Really?"

"Will you?"

"Of course, I will! But I'm kind of concerned. Do you think you know him well enough? You've only been dating for three months."

"Well, that's kind of crappy for you to bring up," Ali said, her face falling.

"Why is it crappy? Did he ever ask Dad?"

"To marry me? Why would Kent even ask Dad that?"

"Because… because, well, it's kind of the _nice_ thing to do-"

"He didn't ask Dad, he asked _me._ You of all people should understand how important the female agency is-"

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

"What?!" Ali's eyes blazed. "You know what Katie, I'm sorry I asked you over-"

"Wait a second! Calm down. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I asked that." Kate caught her sister in her arms. Ali wriggled some but didn't push her away. "Really. I'll be happy to be your maid of honor, and I want to help you plan this wedding and… I love you. I love you so much."

Ali relaxed in her sister's arms. "I love you, too. But why are you doubting his intentions?"

"Because I think he's…" Kate bit her tongue. "I think he's taking things too quickly with you. You two don't even know each other that well, yet."

"We know each other well enough," Ali scoffed. "And… and we'll get to know each other even more during the engagement. Hey, Mom and Dad didn't date for that long before they got engaged, right?"

"But they knew each other before they started dating, they worked together. And you haven't even moved in with him yet! What happens if he leaves peanut butter thumbprints all over the kitchen counters like Dad... or… or, or farts in bed or something?"

"That's so stupid! I don't care about that!"

"But you can't know the _real_ him until-"

"Oh, bite me! And besides, I've slept with him already, I don't care about that kind of stuff. And Mom and Dad didn't move in together before they got married and they were just fine."

"I know, but… I don't really know him. Can you understand my hesitation to see you get married to someone that's not like family already?"

Ali sighed, slumping. And then she crossed her arms. "I'm not like you."

"How are you not _like me_?" Kate asked, getting a few paper towels to mop up the spilled wine before Tessie got into it.

"I flunked the bar exam-"

"I would too, I haven't been to law school! So what if you flunked the bar once? Big deal!"

"Like you've ever failed at anything!"

"Sure I have!" Kate scoffed.

"Name one- and don't talk about modeling."

Kate blanched for a moment but came back with an example. "I failed a quiz in Chemistry, freshman year." Ali's eyes rolled. "Look, I'm more concerned about you having a marriage that fails because you jumped into it too fast. I want…" Kate chose her next words carefully. "I want Kent to be like family to Dad and me, like a brother. He didn't want to have Easter with us this year, and you two went your separate ways on the holiday. He's never met Dad, either. I want to expect him at family dinners and know to set another place for him without having to ask you if he's coming, too. We, _our family_ , is not there with him, yet. What's going to happen if… if Dad falls off the wagon after seeing you get married to a guy we hardly know, and we have to convince him to go back to rehab, huh? What's Kent going to do, just stand back, and let us do all the work because he doesn't feel like has anything to contribute because he doesn't know the Beckett family?"

"This is ridiculous, just leave, Katie-"

"Kent hasn't paid his dues in our family. And you probably haven't paid your dues in his, either, Ali. The bond just isn't there."

Ali sat down on her bed and held back tears. Kate hadn't wanted to do that to her, but she had. Ali wiped her tears away.

"What is it?" Kate asked, feeling sheepish. She knelt before Ali and placed her hands on her knees.

"I was there when Kent's dad died a few weeks ago," Ali said.

"I know," Kate said softly, changing her tone, remembering Ali telling her about Senator Frank Atwood's pancreatic cancer. "I'm sorry about that."

"Frank said I'd make the perfect next Mrs. Atwood when he met me," Ali said, sniffling. "Kent has high hopes and aspirations, and… and he said he had a dream, and it was a vision of Kent and me married, and him in Congress, taking his father's place in DC. He _knows_ , Katie. He _knows_ because he had a vision. I want to show you something." Ali stood up and Kate withheld an annoyed eye-roll that her little sister was having some kind of psychic vision. Ali swore sometimes that the dead and supernatural sought her out for a special message. It was chilling to remember Ali telling her about the time she had a dream of their dead mother singing a church hymn, coming through the apartment window grinning down at her already-suicidal youngest daughter and handing her a straight-edge razor to slice up her wrists. Kate honestly thought it was just a byproduct of her situation at the time and her severe depression, it was not Mom communicating with her. Kate, always the cynic, always associated Ali's silly belief that she was psychic with sociology; Ali was finding patterns after distinctly looking for them. Ali was busy digging into a box of junk and produced a notebook. "Look, here," Ali said, flipping through the notebook. "Here! Here it is!"

She held out the notebook. Kate studied them for a moment. "These are Anthropology notes."

"No! Listen! Back in college, I took this Anthropology class for my Humanities minor, and I always sat with my Phi Kappa sister Lisa. She and I played MASH one day because we were bored during lecture-"

"Oh my God, do not tell me-" Kate's eye roll emerged. "MASH is a child's game and-"

"No! I wasn't finished!" Ali snapped. "Look. Here. After my MASH results."

"I guess that explains the C you got in that class."

"I didn't make a C, I made a very high B, alright?" Ali barked. "Here, I wrote out what I thought my future husband would be like, and I asked God for it-"

"Ali…" Kate moaned, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. This was getting more and more stupid by the moment. Kate's own feelings about God were that He was not a wish-granter in the sky, that was why she didn't pray, asking for things. Her feelings about God were complicated enough, so much that she didn't go to church like Ali did.

"Listen! It says, 'His name will start with a K, and he'll be over 6 feet tall, handsome-"

"Oh wow, you just described Barbie's boyfriend Ken."

Ali threw her an annoyed look but continued. "He'll come from a family like the Kennedys, have excellent style, he'll have hazel eyes, wear a tie pin with a diamond in it to match his cufflinks, he'll drive a BMW, and we'll have four kids. Katie, this is Kent!"

"No, it's not. You just named about fifty guys I already know in New York City."

"The Atwoods are a political dynasty! And Kent's got green eyes-"

"See, right there, you said hazel-"

"Green and hazel eyes are so close in color, they're practically the same. And Kent just bought a new BMW last fall! Katie, this is it! I swear it! Kent and I have already spoken about having children. He's got a huge 2-bedroom apartment in Chelsea, that's perfect starter apartment to start a family immediately-"

"Are you marrying him for a meal ticket?" Kate asked, aghast.

"No!" Ali cried. "I'm really not! I'm just… I'm looking at my prospects. And he's already got a job in a firm and I'd be his wife, and we've already talked about having kids. I've always wanted to be a mom-"

"What if you have problems getting pregnant?" Kate suggested. "What if a baby doesn't come nine months after the wedding date?"

"Don't jinx me!" Ali cried. "Jeez!"

"I'm just trying to tell you, sometimes things don't go as planned."

"I'm not going back to waiting tables or a call center like I did after undergrad if I can never pass the bar."

"Well, you majored in psychology, what did you expect would happen?"

"I'm not… I'm not as driven as you," Ali said, slapping the notebook down on her bed. "You have your shit together-"

"I do not!" Kate cried, horrified and amused at the same time that her sister still actually believed that. "I don't know half of what I'm doing, sometimes!"

"But you've got a career, and a job you love, and-"

"And I never do the things I used to. I'm always working and I don't write music or sing anymore and I don't cosplay like we used to-"

"So what? All that doesn't matter when you've got a paycheck. And a savings account."

"I've lived paycheck-to-paycheck before-"

"You're the muse for an international best-selling author."

"What does that have to do with anything we're talking about here?"

Ali gulped back a sob and whimpered. After a long moment, she finally spoke, "I'm something special to Kent. You're something special to Richard Castle. Can't I have that? To be special and adored by someone?"

Kate hated when Ali started comparing herself. It made her feel angry and guilty both at the same time. "Let's get something straight: Castle doesn't adore me, he just _thinks_ he does. He adores the idea of a female cop who wears push-up bras solving crimes, and makes her slutty in his own mind. You read the first _Nikki Heat_ ARC I lent you- and I want it back, by the way- and I don't want you getting married to have something to _do_ because you're depressed and giving up on the bar. Kent doesn't know you that well, yet, either, but he adores what he _thinks_ he knows about you. Castle thinks he knows me so well that he can write me, but I'm nothing like that Nikki Heat character he's written. I'm just waiting for the day he finds out I'm so nerdy I cosplayed before it was cool and went to nerd cons, and then he'll go and find another muse who's cooler than me. I'm surprised he didn't run off when he saw those awful, cheesy test shots from my modeling career-"

"He won't do that," Ali said. "I have this feeling about you two-"

"Ali, I'm not seeing him. And for all your psychic visions of Castle and me, it's never going to happen. I'm a career girl, he dates and sleeps with celebutantes looking for a meal ticket, and Demming- Demming kind of gets it with me. But we're not talking about me and the men in my life, we're talking about you and Kent. I want you to get married because your life is already pretty great and Kent will just make it better. Marriage is supposed to enrich your life, not take it from sad to happy. He's not a solution to happiness, that's what I'm trying to tell you. Do you get it?"

Ali was silent. Kate hoped she was thinking hard about what she just said. "Are you happy with your life as it is right now?" Ali asked.

Kate opened her mouth to say yes, but she had to stop herself. She rarely got asked that question. What was happiness?

Ali pinched the bridge of her nose and continued. "I do love Kent. And I think he and I are going to be so happy together."

"Of course, you do," Kate muttered.

"I'm never going to convince you like him, am I?" Ali asked.

Kate sulked for a moment. "I don't… _dislike_ him. I hardly _know_ him."

"Then will you meet him? For a dinner? You keep saying you don't know him too well. If that's why you don't want me marrying him, I'm happy to set us up so you can get to know him. I want you to see in him what I see and give him a chance. Will you, please?"

Kate sighed and realized that this might be an opportunity to carefully plant some doubt in Ali's mind to make her reconsider if she seemed to go along with this. "Alright. I'll give him a chance."

* * *

Kate climbed the stairs from the top floor gym of the precinct, freshly showered, dressed in a black turtleneck and slacks for work, and made up, when she heard her phone chime. She picked it up to see a new text from Ali.

 _Kent says Tues nite is good 4 him, U?_

She checked her calendar, and she was not on-call tomorrow night. As long as there were no incidents, she could go. _I'm free. Can meet at 6:30. U told dad?_

She waited for a response, but Ali didn't text her back immediately.

 _You better have told Dad by now. Not keeping secrets, A_. Kate texted.

 _OK. I will. So, res for 4?_ Ali texted back.

 _Let me take care of it,_ she texted back. She dialed her phone.

"Jim Beckett."

"Hi, Dad."

"Katie! It's good to hear from you, sweetheart!" Jim responded. "What's going on?"

"Dad… what do you think of Ali's boyfriend?" Kate said carefully.

"Kent? Nice guy. We said we'd play a round of golf together sometime. I'll take him up on it. You want to finally try golf?"

Ali hadn't told their father. "No thanks. But Dad, what are you doing on Tuesday night? I wanted to get together with Kent and Ali for dinner since we need to get to know him. I get the feeling they're getting pretty serious-"

"This Tuesday? Oh, sweetheart, um… I'm… kind of busy."

"Busy?" Kate repeated, more to herself, surprised. Tuesday nights were usually AA meetings he lead and then he'd go home and work on his model train set.

"I uh… I have a date."

"With who?"

"With… ah, we're just meeting for coffee, nothing serious."

"Dad, who is it?"

"Katie, it's the first date, I don't even know if I'll ask her on a second one, can you just give me some privacy?"

Kate's teeth ground. Her father had dated some, but she always knew the women. This always irritated her, she'd never be ready for her father to date after her mother's death. But she couldn't tell him no. "Sorry, Dad."

"Maybe another night. Thursday is good for me." It wasn't for Kent and Ali, though. "Or do our monthly father-daughters dinner like usual, just invite Kent along?"

"Alright," Kate said. "I'll consider it, I'm just going into the bullpen, so I have to go."

"Have a good day at work, honey."

"Thanks, Dad. You too. Love you, 'bye."

She turned around to set her phone down on her desk and almost ran smack-dab into Castle's broad chest.

"Whoa!" he cried, holding up two paper cups of Starbucks lattes. "Almost got this all over you."

"It's alright, Castle, I'm wearing black today."

"No 'good morning'?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, sitting down at her desk. "I was a little distracted."

"What's wrong?"

Kate sighed, usually it was Castle spilling his guts to her every morning about his own life and she'd chat with him about it, usually about raising Alexis alone as a single father. But this morning was different. "Um… Ali's just being weird."

"Like how?"

"Well… did I tell you she's dating someone at the firm she's interning for?"

"No," he admitted.

"She is. His name is Kent Atwood-"

"Not Senator Atwood's son-"

"Yes, the one."

"I know them. Sort of. Our money runs in the same crowd, you know. Sometimes."

Kate's automatic eye roll stopped itself when she realized she could mine Castle for some info on the Atwoods. "Really? What do you know about the Atwoods? Any dirty, juicy details?" She sipped her latte, made just the way she liked it.

"For starters, they are the biggest 'family values' people I can think of," Castle said, pronouncing it like a curse word, with air quotes. "So far-right, they frown on me, having been married twice already. They hated Hillary, they hated Bracken, but they even hated Guiliani. They have _the best_ political planners for years about how to present a super-conservative ticket to a state as liberal as New York, that's why Frank Atwood got the state Senate nominee. And they're big, old money too, like bought-a-bank big. And I've never once been invited to any of their literacy events, and I think it's the two ex-wives, if you know what I mean."

She wanted to tease him about being bitter, but she got an idea. "Oh really? So Castle tell me, what are you doing for dinner Tuesday night?"

* * *

"Adulting sucks," Ali announced, flopping down on the chair beside Kate's desk that Castle usually occupied.

"Why do you say that? You want to start off tonight whining?"

"I'm just looking at the balance in my bank account."

"So I guess that means dinner's on me."

"What? I didn't say that! I survive on sunshine and air."

"You mean Kent's paying?" Kate snorted.

"Well… I am a lady."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Get ready, I'm bringing Castle along." She had told Castle that Kent, who had hardly been dating Ali had proposed, and she needed the advice and guidance of a person who knew a lot about getting married- twice over, already.

"Wait, what? Why him?" Ali cried, horrified. "What about Dad?"

"He's my partner," Kate said as if Ali was forgetting something. "I trust him. And Dad's busy tonight."

"Oh, great. What's Dad's excuse?"

 _Because you know you're jumping into marrying Kent too fast,_ Kate thought but didn't say. "For starters, Dad has a date he didn't tell us about-"

"What?" Ali's jaw dropped.

"-And, I can say a lot of things to you and Kent in front Castle that I wouldn't say in front of Dad."

"Ladies, are we ready?" Castle called, coming out of the men's room.

"Yeah, let me just get my purse and coat," Kate said.

"Hi, Ali, good to see you," Castle said, giving her a friendly hug and a kiss.

"Good to see you, too. Although I had no idea you were coming along tonight, I'd have dressed nicer."

"Are you still nervous around me?" he asked, surprised.

"No, I'm… It's a... family issue tonight, I thought that was going to be the topic of the dinner."

"She's engaged," Kate said.

"Ah, you're engaged! Congratulations! I didn't even know you were seeing anybody!" Castle cried, playing dumb. He knew. Kate had told him everything about Ali failing the bar, the blow to her self-esteem, and the surprise engagement. He knew so well but was just trying to make it seem like he didn't.

"I hardly knew she was so serious, either, that's what we're going to be talking about tonight," Kate said.

"Awkward," Castle pronounced.

"Yeah," Ali agreed.

"Well, seeing as you've been married twice, I didn't think I could find a better marriage expert," Kate teased.

"I'm flattered," Castle said dryly.

"I thought… I thought Dad was going to be coming along, and _he_ knows a lot about marriage-" Ali spluttered.

"So where are we eating?" Castle interrupted.

"Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar," Kate said. "Seeing as this isn't a shotgun wedding, she can eat raw fish!"

Ali's eyes narrowed at Kate.

"And have some sake. Good job on using birth control," Castle replied. Kate fought the urge to high-five him.

They shared a cab to 58th Street, and Castle made Ali laugh with a few witty remarks and stories. Kate secretly wanted Kent to stand them up, simply to show Ali how he wasn't good husband material. She'd never rub it in if that happened.

The reservations were ready at six-fifteen, and the hostess escorted them to their reserved table: Kent sent Ali a text that he was running a few minutes late, but was in a cab on the way there. They ordered some hot sake and started discussing the menu. Castle insisted on the Omakase platter, but they'd wait to order the meal until Kent arrived. The sake arrived and they traditionally took turns pouring for each other.

"Let's get down to the subject at hand. I'm being serious," Castle began. "I think the biggest mistake I made in my first marriage was we weren't on the same page financially and she had about fifteen thousand in debt I didn't know about until after Alexis was born. I had just gotten my first advance check for my first book, and I was an ATM for her, it seemed. Have you and Kent had a come-to-Jesus about finances, yet?"

Ali looked a little surprised he had gotten to the subject so quickly. "Well… um… I've told him I'm riding almost exclusively on student loans and what's left of my portion of Mom's estate. He's told me it doesn't matter."

"Do you know enough about him, financially? Don't worry, we'll ask him when he gets here," he said.

"Well… I know he's got an apartment in Chelsea," Ali said, looking off into the distance. "He's not afraid to take me on expensive dates, either. And his family has a place in the Hamptons and Connecticut, and his mother an apartment on Madison. They've got a house in Aspen, and a place in Switzerland, another place to vacation in the US Virgin Islands..."

Kate hadn't realized how much money the Atwoods actually had before now. Was it really worth it to Ali to marry him just for the money? Of course, the Atwoods were going to insist on a prenup to protect their fortune, that was certain.

"So you really haven't sat down with him and talk money?" he asked.

"Well… money's a dangerous conversation topic," Ali admitted. "Old-money people think it's rude to talk about it. So, no."

Kate was impressed with how Castle handled this conversation.

"Let me ask you one more thing before he gets here: is there anything about him you want to change, already?"  
"Well, no! He's perfect!" Ali cried, almost offended.

"He's not addicted to video games, porn, sex, he doesn't drink too much?"

"No! Well, I don't think he's got any weird addictions if that's what you're asking. He does game and he enjoys a drink just as much as the rest of us. And the sex part… it's fine," Ali's cheeks turned pink. "Trust me, it's fine between us."

"Well, they say you marry your parents," Kate offered. "In our family, that's something we need to think about, especially with Dad's history."

"Are there any habits you'd hide from him?" Castle continued.

"Well… I don't know," Ali said meekly.

"See, the older you get, the more set you can get in your ways. And sharing a space and a bank account and finances with another person can get really hard," he explained. "The sharing a space part can be really weird, too. When you're single or living on your own, you develop certain habits that you don't want to show right away. I like the entire bed to myself if it's anything less than King-sized, I'll just say. This is why some level of cohabitation is always a good thing before marriage."

"You're making a really bad case for getting married, Castle," Kate remarked.

"It's not that bad, marriage can be a wonderful thing. It can be really fun to have someone so close to you to got through life with," he sighed. "I miss being married sometimes, but I think I jumped into my first one way too fast-"

"There he is!" Ali cried, waving towards the entrance.

Kent entered: Kate thought he was pretty handsome, but a bit bland. His sandy brown was expertly styled in a six-hundred dollar haircut and he was in a brand-new designer suit. Of course, he had tiny diamonds in his cufflinks and tie pin, like Ali's stupid prediction said. The Atwoods were loaded. "Ali!" he cried bending down to kiss her sister quickly.

"Hi, honey!" Ali sang. "Richard Castle, this is Kent Atwood, my fiancé. And Kent, you've met my big sister, Katie, before."

"It's good to see you, again, Katie. And Mr. Castle, I've read your books, it's nice to meet you," Kent said. Kate was pretty sure Castle's books, especially with their steamy love scenes, didn't quite meet the family values of the Atwoods' public reading tastes.

"It's just Castle," Castle explained. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"You know why we're having this dinner, right?" Kate asked.

"You think we've gotten engaged too quickly, don't you?" Kent interrupted the flow of conversation immediately. "That's why you asked to meet me tonight with Ali."

"Well… from a big sister's standpoint, I do think so."

"And that's why she asked me along," Castle said. "I'm assuming you don't know that I've been married twice before."

"We were discussing some things that I think you and Ali need to talk about before you got married," Kate said. "Like, Ali's a devout Catholic, I don't know what you are, but how is that going to work out between the two of you? How will you raise your children?"

"Can we just order food, first?" Kent asked. "I'm starving."

"Sure," Ali answered. "We've already ordered some sake for you." She poured a small cup for him.

"Thanks, babe," Kent said, kissing her on the cheek.

They settled down and Kent got to talking baseball with Kate and Ali, and then they ordered an Omakase platter for the table and appetizers. Kent told them about his job, and Ali doted on him, and then the subject came to the homicide Kate and Castle had solved today. When the sashimi arrived, Castle very gently changed the subject. "Do you have plans to discuss finances with Ali?"

"That's a good question, but I'd rather have that discussion in private with Ali and my accountant," Kent said. "But thank you for suggesting it."

"Of course, it's something to discuss in private, not at dinner with her sister and myself present," Castle agreed. "But what about the in-laws? Have your parents met Ali's father yet? Or Kate?"

"No, I… I actually haven't brought that up with them, yet," Kent admitted.

"It's better for her to get to know them now," Castle said. "Have you met her father, yet?"

"No, I haven't. Why don't I arrange a dinner with my parents and you can bring your father and Katie?" Kent asked.

"That sounds good," Ali admitted, a little relieved.

"Have you come up with a plan?" Castle asked.

"A plan?" Kent repeated.

"How long you want to be married and without kids, if you want to stay in the city or move out to the suburbs, your career plans, her career plans, how will they work together in your marriage?"

"Wow… those are some deep questions!" Kent chortled. "Ali, we do need to come up with some idea of what we want to accomplish in our marriage."

"You don't have to talk about it in front of us. But just remember the saying, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. I've learned this all too well: things rarely work out like you'd like them to."

Kate was surprised to hear this much wisdom and maturity coming out of Castle.

"Have you talked about having kids?" Castle continued.

"Well… not really," Kent admitted. "Just that we both want them."

"Have you discussed a timeline as to when you'll have them? Five years down the road? One year down the road? Assuming you don't have fertility issues. Have you talked about what would happen if you did? Would you take routes like IVF or fertility counseling to conceive?"

Kent's jaw dropped and Ali went pale.

"You understand I'm not here to tell you what to do," Castle continued. "I'm just here to point out some things you need to figure out together."

"Well… good point," Kent admitted. "Ali, you know how my family feels about these kinds of things."

"I'm young," Ali said. "I'm pretty sure-"

"But you're not certain," Castle said. "What if it's an antibody problem that keeps you both from being able to conceive? You won't know this until you start trying."

"That's… that's a good thought," Kent admitted.

Kate wondered suddenly why Castle had never had a child with Gina during their marriage, although it was none of her business. Had they had fertility problems?

"There can be unforeseen things in perfectly healthy individuals that can keep them from having children naturally, what will you do in that situation? Genetic counseling might be a good idea before even the prenup."

"What else?" Kent asked.

"Like your health histories. It's important to know what each of you needs mentally and physically." Kate saw Ali blush and lower her tattooed wrist under the table: she hadn't told him about the 'accident' from when she was seventeen? The reason behind the tattoo? "How are you going to manage the house, who's going to be responsible for what? I never anticipated having a child so early in life, but I did with my first wife, and I ended up raising her and getting full custody when we divorced. If you had asked me before we married about that, I'd have told you I wasn't ready for kids for another ten years. I ended up being the one in charge of the household chores, managing the household budget, paying the bills before we had enough money to hire a cleaning service and an accountant. It was a blow to my manhood at first, but I got used to it."

"I've got a cleaning service that comes to my apartment once a week. I can arrange for more when the time comes," Kent said proudly. "And I've got an accountant on-call at all times."

"But what about daily chores?" Castle asked.

"I'll probably be home the most, since I don't have a job after the internship, yet," Ali admitted. A warning bell went off in Kate's mind: her little sister wasn't going to work? Wasn't she going to be independent and have her own money and career? Was she giving up on passing the bar exam? Their mother especially hadn't raised them that way! "So, I guess that'll be up to me."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Kate asked.

"Well… I always wished Mom could have been there for us more and not been juggling a job and Take Back the Neighborhood," Ali admitted. "I wished she could have been a room mother in school, a dance mom when I was at ABT, one of the guard moms… And I want to make sure Kent's taken care of, he's got an awfully important job. And I don't want to put my life in danger like Mom did."

Was Ali unhappy with the way she was raised? Kate found some offense to that: their mother had been amazing, and a wonderful example of womanhood for them. Kate personally thought focusing that much on children could make them spoiled and entitled. She had grown more independent knowing that she wasn't the center of the universe because her parents had other things to do, it had made her mature at a steady and appropriate rate. What was Kent looking for in a wife? Someone who'd dote on him like his mother probably had? She feared Kent was basically asking Ali to mother him!

"What about each other's friends? Do you approve of them?" Castle continued. "Do you think they're good influences? It can be really tough when your spouse tells you that your best friend is annoying and she doesn't want you hanging out with them anymore, think about that. I don't have the answers to these, but these things are important."

Kate was proud of Castle for taking charge like this like he did. They discussed a few more things that could affect a marriage over the sushi rolls. Kate was convinced Kent was completely looking for a replacement for his mother in Ali. Was it that he knew he could charm Ali with his money and good looks into glorifying him when her self-esteem had taken a blow over failing the bar? Was he just looking for a perfect wife to bring with him to the state Senate to make himself look good? Kate worried about this. She didn't trust him, mainly because she didn't know him. She was a detective, great at reading people, but she couldn't quite read Kent.

He excused himself to go to the restroom after he was finished, and Kate took that moment to consider what to do. "Excuse me, I'll be right back," she said to Ali and Castle.

At the restrooms, she saw Kent coming out.

"Hey, you saved room for dessert?" he joked. "Come on, was it really necessary to bring someone we don't know and you're not involved with to bring up-"

"Actually Kent, I wanted to talk to you alone," Kate said, getting irritated. "Listen, I don't know how much you know about our family, but you're going to find out a lot when you marry her. Ali is my only sister. I raised her for a while after our mother died, so she's like my own child, too. So you better not be using her for political conquests-"

"I'm not, I swear!" Kent cried, throwing his hands in the air. "I love your little sister, Kate. I'm going to take such good care of her-"

Kate crossed her arms, contemplating his reaction. "Look. I just want you to know that Ali is my best friend in the universe, we made a pact to stay close after our mother died, and I would do anything for her. I love her fiercely. Think about that when you think about her: she is very well loved. Understand?"

Kent looked a little terrified for a moment and swallowed.

"I asked you a question!" Kate snapped.

"I- I got it!" he stuttered.

And Kate knew she had gotten through to him. "Good. Now, let's get the bill."

* * *

After bidding her sister and Castle goodnight, Ali got into the cab that Kent hailed.

"I think that went well," Ali said after he gave the cabbie his apartment address.

"Man, I'm not going to mess with your sister," he said.

"Why? What happened?" Ali cried. "Did she threaten you?"

"Not really… But she does carry as a police officer, doesn't she?"

Ali rubbed her forehead. "Ugh, Katie! She'd never shoot you as revenge, you know. She's a good cop, okay?"

"But I think, even after she laid it out with me outside the men's restroom tonight, we did cover some good things. That Castle guy brought up a lot of stuff we need to discuss in our engagement."

"Can this wait until tomorrow?" Ali begged.

"No, it really can't. What is your financial situation, Ali? And what are we going to do about something like infertility if it happens to us? I think… I think we need to schedule a night over a bottle of wine and just… discuss all this. I don't think we know each other as well as we think we do."

"What?" Ali spluttered, horrified.

"I'm not saying you and I shouldn't get married, I think we just need to wait until we've gotten these things figured out before we set a date."

 _Damnit, Katie!_ she thought, aggravated. I wanted to get married sooner than later!

* * *

"Hey, Beckett, you wanna share a ride home?" Castle asked.

"Actually, sure," Kate admitted. He helped her into the cab first and got in beside her. After they gave their addresses to the cabbie, she turned to Castle. "I was impressed with you tonight."

"Oh really? Detective Kate Beckett is complimenting me?"

Kate grinned at him. "Yes, I am, Castle. I had no idea you could be so wise. Thank you. I think you've got Kent slamming on the breaks before doing a nose-dive with Ali into wedded bliss. I owe you one."

"I'd say don't mention it, but I'm going to cash that in very, very _carefully_."


End file.
